ABOUT CRISTIE BESU

I am Cristie Besu, Registered Nurse, Certified Sports Nutritionist and founder/CEO of Eat Me Guilt Free. In everything I do, my mission is to bring a tremendous amount of passion and look at things from unique angles in order to add new, undiscovered value to whatever goal and/or challenge I dedicate my time to.

My professional journey began as an energetic ER nurse, which was a natural fit for me as I’ve always had a passion for fitness and health. I am extremely goal driven and I love helping others “figure out their bodies”.  I left the ER in 2014, after almost 9 years, to focus on providing my nutrition clients more of my time, as well as to launch and grow Eat Me Guilt Free.  I owe my success with nutrition clients to combining science, with my love for the fitness industry, to decipher what works for each individual. I never generalize or use cookie-cutter approaches. The fitness and health world is full of unknowns and a multitude of variables. The trick is figuring out how to get where YOU want, incorporating YOUR lifestyle, and not trying to mimic or copy someone else’s plan. I have never had a specific method that I used across the board, because that only limits the options for my growth and benefits for my clients. I continuously evolve and combine the best knowledge of all worlds, and schools of thought to discover what is best for each specific situation or individual.

A great deal has happened since 2014. Eat Me Guilt Free grew rapidly since inception as a direct to consumer brand, mostly driven by the type of creative content and vast health information we used on social media. We emerged as a disruptor and pioneer in the better-for-you food category. Eat Me Guilt Free makes brownies, breads, tortillas and other everyday food products that people crave and typically feel guilty about, with the best available ingredients that ALSO taste delicious. This formula and approach filled a huge void that was much needed in the consumer food market. For decades, the food industry defined unhealthy processed foods as delicious. Consumers didn’t have a choice. The freedom to be healthier was being slowly ripped away by these massive food companies. With innovation in product development, we managed to grow beyond a direct to consumer brand, and our product is now available in national retailers such as Vitamin Shoppe and GNC.

Entering and competing in a trillion dollar industry that has been dominated and dictated by massive corporations for decades is no simple task. That said, I stay focused and driven because of my personal mission in life, which is to help others feel connected to themselves and achieve their health and fitness goals. And that personal mission evolved into the core belief of Eat Me Guilt Free – which is that freedom should not have limitations. Freedom should not have limitations – and eating healthier foods that taste good is a freedom our society should have.  Delicious was used by large corporations to trick consumers into eating unhealthy, almost toxic foods. The horrible ingredients were masked by the great taste. At Eat Me Guilt Free, Delicious is now surrounded by all things better for you. Better nutrition fact ratios, less sugar, no preservatives, no GMOs.

That need to ensure that freedom should not have limitations is also what led to me launch the You Glow Girl Grant, a yearly grant that supports women entrepreneurs disrupting across industries that have traditionally been shepherded by norms and principals that don’t equally reward the efforts and/or contributions by woman entrepreneurs. Although there’s a monumental amount of progress that still needs to take place in the world of business when it comes to female equality, I remain committed to helping strengthen and widen the path for women entrepreneurs.   

As an entrepreneur and human focused on the betterment of society, health and nutrition – that same passion that drove me as an ER Nurse remains the same, if not higher, as I now apply it to a broader universe of people that deserve a chance to live healthier, happier lives and to not be limited when it comes to their personal freedoms.